Evolution of Love
by Rellik 01011993
Summary: Bobby and Jack were close from the moment the younger boy arrived in the Mercer house. Bobby just seemed to understand his youngest brother, so it didn't surprise anyone when Jack became his shadow. And it didn't surprise Evelyn years later when her youngest announced a love that couldn't be silenced, she just wasn't sure how Bobby would take it. Reviews always welcome.
1. Chapter 1

Bobby sat on the couch, ignoring the newest boy in the house in favour of watching a movie. Evelyn had asked him to have some 'time off' from school until she got Jack enrolled. She had to go to work, and she couldn't very well leave the boy home alone or with strangers. She had only just promised him that _she_ would take care of him from now on.

When she had asked him to stay home from school to welcome his newest brother this had not been what she was planning. With Jeremiah, and then again with Angel, Bobby had been almost forceful in welcoming them to the family. He didn't give them a choice about feeling accepted and cared for – he _made_ them see that they were Mercers now.

She was about to step into the lounge room to introduce them, get them interacting, when Jack took a cautious step closer to the couch – to Bobby. "What are you watching?" his voice was timid, but there was curiosity as well.

Bobby glanced over his shoulder at his Ma and winked at her, letting her know he had it all under control. "Godzilla, but not one of those new crappy versions. It's the original and only _real_ Godzilla movie." He left it at that, focusing, or appearing to focus, back on his movie. Giving the flighty younger boy the room to decide what he wanted to do for himself.

When Jack sat on the other end of the couch, on the very edge, Evelyn sighed in relief. For a boy who spent most of his time trying to convince the world that he was just a violent hockey player, her Bobby sure did know how to handle foster kids. She often found herself going to him when she couldn't figure a kid out. Bobby always knew how to approach them, and what would startle them. He was better than most of the social workers she knew. Not that he would ever agree with that assessment.

Jack looked ready to run given the slightest reason, but he was looking between Bobby and the tv screen. When he sat back a little during the ad break, Bobby glanced at him. "Do you like Godzilla?" Jack's eyes widened – worried about giving the wrong answer. "Oh, never seen if before? I'll let you watch it through before I let you answer that. Jerr and Angel don't like it, bunch of sissies."

He saw Jack relax a little and threw a grin his way. He needed to be reassured that he was allowed to have his own opinions in this house. And that a disagreement wasn't going to end in bruises and blood.

They watched the rest of the movie in silence and Evelyn went back to her baking. When she heard the credits rolling she went back to check on them. Jack had moved closer to Bobby throughout the movie so that he could ask him questions. The kid spoke so quietly he ended up having to sit four inches away from Bobby so he could be heard over the tv.

"So, what do you think? Am I still the only one in the house who likes Godzilla?" Bobby asked, turning slightly so he could look at Jack.

The younger boy shook his head. "No, I like it." He paused for a minute before tentatively asking Bobby another question. "Will the others hate me because I like it?" he whispered.

Bobby laughed, shaking his head. "No, Jackie, the guys won't hate you cos you like a different movie to them. They might tease you a little, but I'll have your back." He paused for a moment, watching the worry disappear from the younger boy's face. "Now, Ma's been baking all morning – what do you say to some cookies?"

He waited until Jack made a move to stand before he also stood. Sudden movements, or anything that would make him look intimidating were going to be setbacks with Jack, he knew it. Better to let the kid lead the way, show him his comfort zones, than barge all over them and lose the chance of his trust.

"Can we really have a cookie? She won't mind?" he asked quietly, staring up at Bobby.

Bobby knelt down in front of him so that he wasn't standing over the kid. "Jackie, you listen to me for a minute, and listen good ok?" he waited until Jack nodded before he continued. "I know you've been in bad places before, places where they wouldn't feed you, where they hurt you." Jack's eyes widened in alarm and he took a step back.

"I know that because I was the same, so were Jerr and Angel. No one wanted us or gave a damn about us until Ma took us in. Jackie, in this house, you are safe. No one will hit you and no one will keep anything from you. There's food in the kitchen and you help yourself. If there's anything Ma doesn't want us to eat, that she's saving for special, she'll label it.

"If you need something; tell someone and we'll do anything we can to get it for you. If we step wrong around you and trigger something, you tell us so we can learn. Did Ma tell you what your new surname means for you?"

Jack slowly shook his head, taking a step forward again, lulled by Bobby's words and voice and the earnest look in his eyes. No one had ever gone to the trouble to explain new houses to him before. And no one had _ever_ knelt down to talk to him.

"Mercer's look out for each other. We protect each other and defend each other. If someone at school gives you trouble, you come tell one of your brothers and we'll set them straight. If you're scared of something, you tell us and we'll try to fix it for you. If there's something you want, we try to get it. You're not a bother in this house, Jackie, you're special here. You're our baby brother, ok?"

Jack nodded, eyes wide with wonder. He had long ago given up on believing what people said but Bobby…everything about him screamed honesty. "That's right, baby brother, I don't lie to my family. There's not many things I stand by, but being honest and protective of my family is unbreakable."


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Evelyn got home from work, Bobby had gone out. Hadn't asked if Jack wanted to go with him. Maybe he was sick of him already. Maybe he had to tread too lightly around the boy and he was tired of it. Jack sat tensely at the kitchen table, watching Evelyn cook their dinner.

"Jack honey, I know you're worried about where Bobby's gone off to. About him leaving when I got home." Evelyn spoke quietly, not looking at him. Bobby had said he needed at least the illusion of invisibility for a while yet. "He'll be back in another ten minutes. This is his…little tradition whenever he gets a new brother. He did it when Jeremiah came to us, and then again with Angel. This means you're fully accepted, honey. And quicker than you're brothers too – Bobby didn't do this until at least two weeks after they came to us."

Jack was silent, staring at the top of the table, and Evelyn was starting to worry he didn't believe her. "Why'd he leave if he likes me?" he asked softly.

Evelyn smiled. "You'll see when he comes home, honey. Just give him another ten minutes and let him explain it himself, ok? Can you give Bobby ten minutes?" she turned back to her cooking after Jack offered a slow nod.

Quicker than usual, Bobby walked back into the house carrying a plastic bag. "Jackie? You wanna come into the lounge room for a minute brother?" he called out from the front door, knowing full well that Jack was in the kitchen with Evelyn.

Jack looked to Evelyn for permission before he went. When he walked into the lounge room Bobby was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. "I've got some things for you…" he held the bag towards Jack and waited patiently for the kid to pluck up the courage to take it. When he finally looked back to Bobby with confusion in his eyes Bobby smiled. "There's reasons, you take 'em out and I'll explain 'em…"

He pulled out a small, heavy torch and looked up at Bobby. "It takes a while to get used to being able to eat until you're full. I was hungry through the night for months after I got here cos I couldn't make myself eat a full meal. But I couldn't go out in the dark cos I didn't know the house to sneak properly. It'll give you light and it's heavy enough to do a bit of damage to someone if you get scared. Everyone sleeps with their doors closed, so you won't wake anyone with the light."

Evelyn's heart broke a little while she listened in. Bobby had never told her this. Had never even told Jeremiah or Angel, she didn't think. But he was telling Jack, was helping him. He would do almost anything for his brothers, but he never spoke about his life before being a Mercer and he never spoke about his first few months with Evelyn.

The next thing Jack pulled out was a jumble of ropes. Bobby took it from him and held it up so he could see what it was. "Rope ladder. Bedrooms only have one entrance, under the bed is even worse cos then you're already on the ground and closets are traps. Sometimes you need a way out. I'll set it up for you tomorrow morning. We'll attach it to the roof so you can go up or down – whatever you need." He put the ladder down and waited for Jack to pick the next thing.

He pulled out a leather necklace with a stone looking pendant enveloped in pewter. It looked cheap and nasty and Evelyn wondered what on earth Bobby thought Jack would want it for. "It looks crappy so no one will try to steal it from you." He took his mobile out of his pocket and put it on the floor between them. "Squeeze the stone and watch my phone…"

Jack did as he was instructed and squeezed the stone. It sunk into the pewter that held it and popped back out again. A split second later, Bobby's phone vibrated. His screen lit up with Jack's name and their address.

"If you need me, for anything, you squeeze it and I'll come find you. It sends me the address of wherever you are. I don't care if you're hungry and don't have lunch money, someone's picking on you or you've had a bad dream. If you need me, you press it. If you need to talk to me in the night, but don't want to wander around the house or wake anyone else up. I don't care what time it is Jackie."

Evelyn wasn't sure of the prices of such things. But a panic button disguised as a piece of junk was surely expensive. She watched with curiosity as Jack pulled the last thing out of the bag. It was a black 'hoodie' as her boys called them, and the back was embroidered with _Mercer_. Everyone at their school knew about how well Mercer's fought, not to mention the protective streak Bobby had for his brothers. And _no one_ wanted to piss off the Michigan Mauler.

"You're going to the same school as me, Jerry and Angel. We've got a reputation for fighting, and fighting hard. No one bothers us anymore. Everyone needs to know that you are one of us, so they know that you have us at your back."

They sat in silence for a while, Jack looking over the presents Bobby had given him. No one had ever given him anything. He didn't think anyone had ever even _thought_ of giving him anything. And here Bobby was giving him things to help him fight the demons, and he'd only just met him! "Bobby? Did you…were you like me when you came here?"

Bobby shook his head slowly, leaning back against the couch. "No, Jackie, I was…I was a bad kid when I came to Ma. I was violent and cruel. You're still good. You haven't let your past ruin you as a person." He gave him a tight, lopsided smile. "That takes more guts than I ever had Jackie."


	3. Chapter 3

The first night Bobby heard him whimpering through the wall. He waited for a few minutes, to see if the kid would come to him for help. When he didn't hear any movement he got up to check on him. Knocking quietly on his door. "Jackie? It's Bobby…can I open the door?" he held his breath for several long seconds, hoping the kid wouldn't turn away the offer of help. Eventually he heard a muffled _I suppose_.

He opened the door, but made no move to go inside. He knew that someone coming into your room was not a good thing. Not in a new house. Not before you know how things work. So he kept his feet firmly on the other side of the doorway.

"Anything I can do to help Jackie?" he spoke softly, not wanting to scare Jack and not wanting to wake the others. This was something that needed to be done in private with someone who knew about these things.

Jack sat up in his bed, wiping the tears off his face. He hadn't meant to wake Bobby. Hadn't even meant to start crying – but the panic had gripped him and he'd lost control. "Umm…I dunno. No one's ever…"

Bobby nodded, understanding what the kid was trying to say but couldn't put into words. "Warm cocoa used to help me. You want me to make you a cup? I bet there's still some cookies left over too…" a timid nod. "Do you want to wait here and I'll bring it up, or do you want to come down to the kitchen with me?"

Much quicker than he expected, Jack was standing in front of him. Obviously he wasn't keen on being left alone in his room. Bobby nodded, ducking into his room to grab two jumpers. Wouldn't do to let the kid freeze in the kitchen. He pulled one over his head before handing the other one to Jack. "Come on, it'll be cold downstairs with the heat off."

When he had the drinks made and located a tin of cookies Bobby sat at the table with Jack. "You want to tell me what set you off Jackie? Anything we can do to make you feel safe enough to sleep through the night?"

The younger boy looked up from where he was dunking a cookie in the hot cocoa. "I dunno, I just...night time has never been good, ya know?" he couldn't believe Bobby had got up to check on him, hadn't forced his company on him, _and_ had made him hot cocoa without so much as a whisper of complaint.

Bobby nodded slowly, thinking things over. Trying to remember specifically what had helped him when he first came to Evelyn. "What if we try to make the nights here as different as possible from the nights everywhere else? Was there noise at night where you lived, or silence?"

Jack sat in silence, staring at the table top for several long minutes. Bobby was just about to try to take it back, thinking he had pushed the kid too far, when Jack looked up at him with wide eyes. "My room was scary quiet, but there were parties in the rest of the house… The room was always cold and I only had a sheet. Always by myself – they never put me in a room with someone else cos then we could look out for each other." he whispered, face pale and hands shaking from focusing on his memories.

Bobby nodded, taking a long drink of cocoa to buy him some time. "Alright, we'll put my radio in your room until we can get one just for you. The rooms are warm enough, but we can get you a heavier blanket – comforting weight, ya know?" he paused for a minute, appraising the kid. "I don't think you trust any of us enough yet to share a room with us, but the offer is there whenever you're ready." He handed Jack another cookie.

TWO NIGHTS LATER

"Bobby?" a whisper from the other side of his door. Bobby cracked an eyelid open to check the time. 1am. "Bobby?" another whisper and then he placed it. Jackie – his new brother.

"Come in Jackie – don't stand out in the hall freezin' your ass off." He mumbled, rolling over so he could see Jack come into the room and close the door again. "What's up Jackie?"

Jack stood several feet away from the bed, hands clasped in front of him and eyes on the floor. "You said…you said I could stay in your room if I…if I needed to…"

Bobby smiled, lifting the blankets. "Offer's always there Jackie, you don't need to ask." When Jack paused a moment longer Bobby waited. "I always sleep touching the wall, so I can promise I won't squish you."

Jack hurried to hop under the blankets and was surprised when Bobby made sure he was covered. He had woken him up at 1am, and was pinching half of his bed. Anyone else would have been pissed off. "Thanks Bobby…"

Bobby settled back in under the blankets, considering his words. "Jackie, if you want your bed shifted in here, we can do that. If you'd rather try to keep your own room that's fine, but you can come in here whenever you need to. Don't need to knock, don't need to ask permission. Just come on in. Wake me up before you hop in though…I lash out…my start in life was much like yours. My sleeping mind hasn't caught up with the fact that I'm safe though…"


	4. Chapter 4

One week after Jack had become a Mercer, Evelyn found his room empty in the morning. Panic became a gripping vice around her chest and she was about to start waking the boys to look for him when she realised something. During the day, Jack was practically attached to Bobby. He spoke to Bobby of his own accord, and was starting to relax around him.

She quietly opened the door to Bobby's room and smiled behind her hand, tears rising in her eyes. Bobby lay sprawled across half of the bed, against the wall as he always was, but on the other half lay Jack – sleeping soundly. Her heart swelled with gratitude for such an understanding oldest son. He never complained about his brothers or the foster kids, and he never tried to make them uncomfortable. Bobby gave whatever they needed without a thought.

She closed the door again before she woke them and snuck downstairs to put a pot of coffee on. Bobby wouldn't survive the day if he didn't get his first cup of coffee. Others judged her for giving the teen coffee, but considering the substances he had come into contact with before he came to her – coffee was nothing.

x x x

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

Bobby hadn't been home for two days and Jack was getting more and more on edge. Evelyn was trying to ignore the fact that she _knew_ the two issues were linked. She had accidentally overheard Jack spelling out his feelings for Bobby, and she knew that it was going to take her eldest some time to wrap his mind around it.

She wasn't sure what would happen between the two, but she knew that Bobby would find a way to keep a relationship of some sort with Jack. He was Bobby's favourite after-all. She just wasn't sure what sort of relationship Bobby could handle.

Bobby came through the front door covered in blood and bruises. She knew that all of the blood wouldn't be his, but she couldn't help that her heart skipped a beat. She was about to rush toward him when Jack was suddenly beside him, helping him to the couch. This needed to be left between Bobby and Jack, as much as it went against the grain not to help one of her boys. She set the first aid kit down beside Jack and left them to it.

"Bobby, Jesus, what have you been doing for two days? If I had known this was going to happen to you I would have kept my mouth shut…" Jack mumbled while he assessed the damage. He's seen Bobby worse off than this before, but this time the direct cause had been him. It made his stomach sink to see the wounds and know he caused them.

Bobby shook his head, smiling. "Come on, Jackie, it's not like I was going to start in on a different kind of relationship with you with threats hanging over my head. I had to tidy up a few things." He leant forward, getting into Jack's personal space.

Jack blinked, forgetting about the first aid kit and the blood for a moment. "Does that mean…does that mean what I'm thinking it means?"

Bobby grinned before leaning in to brush a kiss across Jack's lips. "Course it does Jackie. You think I'd leave you hanging for two days if I was going to turn you down? I'd have told you to fuck off straight up if I was gonna turn you down."

Jack whimpered, leaning into Bobby's chest in a way he hadn't done since he was a kid. In a way he'd been missing for just as long. When he had started to realise his feelings for Bobby, he had started to make sure his touches were more…acceptable. He didn't want Bobby to find out one day and think he'd been…taking comfort he wasn't entitled to.

A heavy arm wrapped around his shoulders and he felt Bobby let out a content sigh. "Mmm, you have no idea how good it feels to hold you again Jackie." He murmured, rubbing his cheek against Jack's hair.

Jack grinned against Bobby's chest. "If I'd known this would be your response I'd have said something years ago."

Much to his surprise, he felt Bobby shaking his head. "No, I'd have fucked up majorly with you years ago. Had to grow up and start getting my shit sorted. I'd have thrown this in your face just because that was what would have been _expected_ , and I would have hated myself for it. You chose the right time Jackie."


End file.
